Ski safety strap

ABSTRACT

A safety strap for preventing runaway skis having a quick release fastener to disengagingly connect a ski boot with a ski. The fastener is constructed of a flexible, readily stretchable elongate member which permits substantial elongations of the member when subjected to axial forces to protect the skier&#39;&#39;s foot and leg from possible injuries when the ski is disengaged from the boot under dynamic conditions.

United States Granville SKI SAFETY STRAP [76] Inventor: James E. Granville, 631 Larkin St.,

San Francisco, Calif. 94109 [22] Filed: Feb. 19, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 116,986

[52] US. Cl. 2811/1135 N, 24/73 ES, 24/115 H,

267/74 [51] Int. Cl. A63c 9/00 [58] Field of Search 280/11.35 N, 11.35 C,

280/11.35 R; 182/3; 24/115 H, 73 ES, 81 SK, 30.5 P; 267/69, 73, 74

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,959,424 11/1960 Richards 280/1 1.35 N 3,452,999 7/1969 Salomon 280/11.35 N 3,549,143 12/1970 Gilliam 267/74 2,117,322 5/1938 Hillman 267/69 3,370,841 2/1968 Werner et a! 267/73 2,808,632 10/1957 Cline 24/115 H 891,363 6/ 1908 Nordlander 280/1 1.35 K

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 801,546 5/1936 France 280/11.35 S

Primary ExaminerBenjamin Hersh Assistant ExaminerMilton L. Smith AttorneyTownsend and Townsend [5 7 ABSTRACT A safety strap for preventing runaway skis having a quick release fastener to disengagingly connect a ski boot with a ski. The fastener is constructed of a flexible, readily stretchable elongate member which permits substantial elongations of the member when subjected to axial forces to protect the skiers foot and leg from possible injuries when the ski is disengaged from the boot under dynamic conditions.

12 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED 4'973 3.776.565

INVENTOR. JAMES E. GRANVILLE ATTORNEYS MAW SKI SAFETY STRAP BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Today skiers employ almost exclusively safety bindings which rigidly connect the skiers boot to a ski but open under excessive forces encountered during spills to protect the skiers leg from possible injury. To prevent runaway skis after the safety bindings open socalled safety straps are used which usually engage a portion of the binding or another object secured to the ski, and are loosely wrapped about the upper neck of the skiers boot. Most straps are constructed of inelastic leather or webbings and provide conventional buckles to close them. Such straps therefore retard the release of the boot from the bindings, particularly if the straps were snugly applied.

Such straps are longitudinally rigid or non-elastic and break when subjected to even slight elongation. Thereafter, the ski is free, can slide downhill, poses a hazard to other skiers in the vicinity and prevents the owner from continuing to ski until the runaway ski is retrieved. If the strap is madesufficiently strong to prevent its breakage it will not elongate or stretch. In high speed spills the skiers health is thereby seriously endangered.

Lastly, prior art safety straps are difficult to use, particularly in cold weather. Leather and webbings have a tendency to absorb water which can freeze and render the strap stiff and difficult to manipulate. Furthermore, the relatively tight fit of buckle arrangements, the necessary threading of the strap through the buckles, attempts to insert pins into holes in the strap, etc., are tedious even under the most ideal conditions. In cold winter weather, with ice on the straps, blowing snow and heavy gloves to protect the hands from the cold it can become virtually impossible to apply the safety strap while stooped over to reach the boot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a strap which is economically manufactured, effectively retains the ski to the skiers boot without breaking and which is quickly and conveniently applied even under the most adverse conditions. Briefly, a strap constructed in accordance with the invention comprises a flexible, elongate, axially elastically stretchable member and means for releasably connecting the member with the ski and the boot. 1

In one embodiment of the invention the strap comprises an elongate, preferably tubular member constructed of a plastic material, with the ends closed off to prevent water from entering, freezing and thereby stiffening of the strap. A quick release snap-in fastening means is provided for closing the strap and applying it to the boot. Intermediate sections of the strap are retained to each other with a tubular sleeve slipped thereover to leave a pair of loops engaging the neck of the skiers boot and an object secured to the ski such as part of the safety binding.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the plastic material of which the strap is constructed permits the elongation of the strap to at least about two times its original length so that under ordinary conditions strap breakage is prevented and undue rigidity of the strap and the resulting danger of physical injury to the skier is prevented. Moreover, it is preferred to include means such as the selected cross section of the strap material or the connection between the fastening means and the strap to release, e.g., break the strap open, when a predetermined force acting between the ski and the skier is applied to the strap. Under extreme conditions, such as where the ski is prevented from further movement while the speed of the falling skier continues to propel him forward injuries due to an unbreakable safety strap are prevented.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the quick release fastening means comprises a loop or aperture formed at one end of the strap and a button head applied to the other end and which can be passed through the loop for engaging it and thus closing the strap. The effective strap length is easily shortened without the need for special skills and/or tools often not available to a skier, as was common in the past, by removing the button head and severing a corresponding length of the strap. The effective length of the strap is equally easily lengthened by shortening the tubular sleeve retaining the intermediate strap sections as is more fully described hereinafter.

Thus, a safety strap constructed in accordance with the invention combines a substantially greater effectiveness in retaining the ski to the skiers boot than prior art straps with a prevention of possible injury to the skier from an excessive strength and rigidity of the strap. Furthermore, the strap is easily adjusted to different size skis and ski boots. The ease with which it is applied makes it substantially more convenient to use than prior art straps, particularly under adverse atmospheric conditions. Lastly, in emergencies, the strap does not retarda release of the boot from the bindings since it is elastic and permits an upward movement of the boot away from the ski and the binding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a ski boot secured to a ski with a safety binding and provided with a safety strap constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the loose safety strap illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded, fragmentary view of the end of the strap provided with a button end forming part of a quick release safety strap fastener.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a ski boot 6 is illustrated resting on top of a ski 8 and releasably secured thereto with a safety toe piece 10 and a safety heel 12. Under normal conditions the safety binding substantially rigidily secures the boot to the ski. When excessive forces are developed between the ski and the boot as during a spill the toe piece or the heel opens and frees the boot from the ski to protect the skiers leg and foot from large forces and possible injury. To prevent the ski from running downhill after the safety binding opens a safety strap 14 is provided. The safety strap is connected to the ski via an object such as heel 12 and a loop is placed about neck 16 of the boot to maintain a loose, flexible connection between the boot and the ski and prevents a runaway ski. The safety strap is applied to the boot by opening fastening means 18, pulling up on the strap, snugly placing the loose ends of the safety strap about the boot neck and then reclosing the fastening means.

Safety strap 14 comprises a tubular member 20 constructed of a readily deformable, flexible material that is longitudinally stretchable. It is presently preferred that the material is a plastic and permits the elastic longitudinal stretching of the tubular member to at least about twice its normal length and preferably to about as much as four times it normal length without breakage or significant permanent elongation of the strap. Furthermore, since the safety strap is used under cold winter conditions the selected material must obtain its flexibility and elastic elongation down to temperatures at least as low as about 20 F. and preferably as low as 40" to -60 F.

Tube 20 is cut to length so that it can readily be placed about boot neck 16, gathered adjacent the side of the boot (as seen in FIG. 1) and brought down to about the upper surface of ski 8. One end of the tubular member is doubled over and firmly clamped to an intermediate portion 22 of the tube with a clamp 24 to form an end loop or aperture 26 and simultaneously close off that end of the tube to prevent foreign materials such as water from entering the tube. A flange 28 having a radially outwardly extending flat ring 30 and a sleeve 32 is placed over the other end of tube 20. A plug 34 is inserted into the other end of the tube. The portion 36 of the plug inserted into the tube has a sufficient diameter to force the tube against the interior surface of sleeve 32 and firmly retains the plug, the tube end and the flange to each other. End loop 26 is made sufficiently large so that a button head 38 formed by flange 28 and plug 34 is readily passed through the loop. However, the transverse dimension of the end loop is kept small enought to assure that button head 38 is retained by the loop in case of vibration or a sudden blow against fastening means 18.

Next, a thin-walled, flexible tubular sleeve 40 which is substantially shorter than one-half the length of tube 20 is passed over the doubled up tube 20 so that free ends 42 and 44 of the tube and a closed end section 46 protrude past ends of the sleeve. The relative sleeve position is so adjusted that the length of free ends 42, 44 is sufficient to permit them to be placed about the neck In use, closed end 46 of tube 20 is looped about a portion of heel piece 12 such as connecting arm 48 and sleeve 40 is pushed downwardly against the tubular loop above the connecting arm. Closed tube end 46 can be secured to any other object projecting from the ski. Where practical the double loop 50 shown in FIG. 1 can be deleted and a single loop (not separately shown) can be employed. Special fasteners, such as hooks or slings (not shown) can be employed for bindings on which the fastening of the strap with a loop formed by the strap is impractical.

Safety strap 14 is now ready for use. The skier secures boot 6 to toe piece and heel 12 in a conventional manner and free ends 42, 44 of tubular member are wrapped about the boot neck 16 so that end loop 26 and button head 38 are closely adjacent. The button head is now simply slipped through the end loop and the safety strap is applied and ready. Tedious threading, aligningand securing operations heretofore encountered with prior art safety straps which are so difficult to perform under winter weather are thus eliminated. Should the binding open and the boot become separated from the ski an upper loop 52 of the safety strap formed by free ends 42 and 44 projecting past the upper end of sleeve 40 maintains a loose connection between the boot and the ski while permitting relative motion between the two including an increase in the distance between the boot and the ski due to an elastic stretching of the tubular member 20 as described above. Fastening means 18 remain closed, even under the application of substantial forces, by virtue of the interengagement between the side of flange ring 30 facing in the direction of tubular member 20 and end loop 26.

To prevent the application of excessive forces it is preferred to construct button head 38 so that plug 34 and, with it, flange 28 release, that is come off the end of tube 20, when subjected to an axial force of a predetermined magnitude is applied. Preferably, the button head lock is broken when a force of about 40 to pounds is applied to prevent injury to the skiers leg. In one embodiment, a polyurethane member 20 having a one-fourth inch outside diameter and a one-sixteenth inch wall thickness is employed. The member exhibited the desired elastic elongation of up to about four times its original length and the necessary elasticity and flexibility under temperatures as low as 40" F. The strap failed under a load of about 60 pounds. At that point the wall thickness between flange 28 and portion 36 of plug 34 thinned out sufficiently that the plug and flange no longer gripped the tube and popped out. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that a large number of other commercially available materials such as certain polyvinylchlorides and the like could be equally advantageously employed. Furthermore, it is not necessary for the proper operation of the strap that fastening means 18 fails, the size and material of member 20 can be so selected that it ruptures first.

Safety strap 14 of the invention also permits its ready adjustment for use with varying size boots. Should the safety strap be excessively long head 38 is removed by forcing flange 28 downwardly (as illustrated in FIG. 3), removing plug 34 and severing a length of tube 20 which provides the desired shortening of the safety strap. Thereafter, flange 28 and plug 34 are re assembled in the above described manner to form button head 38. If the upper loop 52 of the safety strap is too small for its loose placement about boot neck 16 tube sleeve 40 is suitably shortened until the upper loop 42 is of the desired size.

Although the strap has been illustrated and described as being attached to binding 12 at only one point, if desired, it can be attached to the binding on each side of boot 6. In that case a portion of the strap (not shown) is brought down from boot neck 16 on the far side (as seen in FIG. 1) of the boot and looped about the binding. Another sleeve (not shown) is placed over that downwardly extending portion of the strap so that end loop 26 extends from one of the sleeves and the strap end carrying flange 28 extends from the other one of the sleeves. The strap is then applied by connecting the flange to the end loop.

I claim: V

1. A safety strap for providing a non-rigid connection between a ski boot and a ski therefor after a binding forming a releasable rigid connection between the boot and the ski disengages, the strap comprising: a flexible, elongate, axially elastically stretchable member, portions of said member forming first and second loops for placement around the boot and around objects secured to the ski, and a tubular member slipped over intermediate sections of the strap to define the relative lengths of the first and second loops to adjust the strap and fit it to a boot.

2. A safety strap according to claim 1 including means for opening at least one of the loops.

3. A safety strap according to claim 2 wherein the opening means comprises button means on one end of the strap and a third loop defining another end of the strap, the third loop having a sufficientsize to permit the insertion into and the withdrawal therefrom of the button means to thereby open and close the loop.

4. A safety strap for preventing runaway skis after a binding securing a ski boot to a ski opens comprising an elongate strap of a readily flexible material for connection with the boot and the ski, the material being selected to permit a substantial elastic stretching of the strap without breakage thereof, wherein a portion of the strap including the ends is placed about the boot when the strap is in use, and including means retaining ends of the portion to each other to thereby define a boot embracing loop, the retaining means comprising a tubular member placed about intermediate sections of the strap continuous to the portion and having a length permitting part of the sections to protrude past the tubular member to form said boot embracing loop.

5. A strap according to claim 4 wherein the tubular member is slidably placed over the section and comprises a yieldingly deformable material.

6. In a skiing apparatus having a ski boot carried by a skier, an elongate ski, a binding mounted to the ski and releasably engaging the boot to substantially rigidly, releasably secure the boot to the ski, the improvement comprising: a safety strap attached to the ski and the boot permitting disengagement of the boot and the binding and, therefore, of the boot and the ski and maintaining a loose connection between the boot and the ski to thereby prevent a runaway ski, the strap being constructed of an elastic material permitting a substantial increase in the maximum distance between the boot and the ski from a normal spacing between them when no forces are applied to the strap, and including means for releasably securing ends of the strap, and means for retaining intermediate sections of the strap to each other to form a first loop for placement about the boot and a second loop for engagement with an object secured to the ski.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the end securing means comprises a snap-in fastener to facilitate the ease with which the ends are secured to each other in use and under adverse atmospheric conditions.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the fastener means comprises an aperture formed at one end of the strap and a head secured to the other end of the strap for placement through the aperture, the head having an engaging surface facing in the direction of the strap for engaging part of the strap defining the aperture and thereby maintaining the ends secured to each other.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the strap comprises a flexible plastic tube, wherein the aperture is defined by a doubled over, pinched off end of the tube clamped to an intermediate portion of the tube, and wherein the head comprises a radially outwardly extending flange placed over the other end of the tube and a plug disposed within the tube biasing the tube into firm frictional engagement with an interior surface of the flange.

10. A safety strap for preventing runaway skis after a binding securing a ski boot to a ski opens comprising an elongate strap of readily flexible tubular material for connection with the boot and the ski, the material being selected to permit a substantial elastic stretching of the strap without breakage thereof, means for opening and closing the strap to movably connect and disconnect the boot and the ski, said means for opening and closing the strap including a clamp comprising an outer annular member and an inner circular member adapted to compress a first end of the elongate tubular strap therebetween to fixably connect said clamp to said first end of said tubular strap, but adapted to release said tubular strap when a predetermined force is applied to the strap whereupon stretching of said tubular strap sufficiently decreases the wall thickness of said strap to a thickness wherein said tubular strap slides from between the outer annular member and the inner circular member, and means for connecting the clamp to the second end of the elongate tubular strap strip.

11. A strap according to claim 10 wherein the second end of the elongate strap is connected to the outer annular member.

12. A strap according to claim 10 wherein the second end of the elongate strap is connected to the inner circular member. 

1. A safety strap for providing a non-rigid connection between a ski boot and a ski therefor after a binding forming a releasable rigid connection between the boot and the ski disengages, the strap comprising: a flexible, elongate, axially elastically stretchable member, portions of said member forming first and second loops for placement around the boot and around objects secured to the ski, and a tubular member slipped over intermediate sections of the strap to define the relative lengths of the first and second loops to adjust the strap and fit it to a boot.
 2. A safety strap according to claim 1 including means for opening at least one of the loops.
 3. A safety strap according to claim 2 wherein the opening means comprises button means on one end of the strap and a third loop defining another end of the strap, the third loop having a sufficient size to permit the insertion into and the withdrawal therefrom of the button means to thereby open and close the loop.
 4. A safety strap for preventing runaway skis after a binding securing a ski boot to a ski opens comprising an elongate strap of a readily flexible material for connection with the boot and the ski, the material being selected to permit a substantial elastic stretching of the strap without breakage thereof, wherein a portion of the strap including the ends is placed about the boot when the strap is in use, and including means retaining ends of the portion to each other to thereby define a boot embracing loop, the retaining means comprising a tubular member placed about intermediate sections of the strap continuous to the portion and having a Length permitting part of the sections to protrude past the tubular member to form said boot embracing loop.
 5. A strap according to claim 4 wherein the tubular member is slidably placed over the section and comprises a yieldingly deformable material.
 6. In a skiing apparatus having a ski boot carried by a skier, an elongate ski, a binding mounted to the ski and releasably engaging the boot to substantially rigidly, releasably secure the boot to the ski, the improvement comprising: a safety strap attached to the ski and the boot permitting disengagement of the boot and the binding and, therefore, of the boot and the ski and maintaining a loose connection between the boot and the ski to thereby prevent a runaway ski, the strap being constructed of an elastic material permitting a substantial increase in the maximum distance between the boot and the ski from a normal spacing between them when no forces are applied to the strap, and including means for releasably securing ends of the strap, and means for retaining intermediate sections of the strap to each other to form a first loop for placement about the boot and a second loop for engagement with an object secured to the ski.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the end securing means comprises a snap-in fastener to facilitate the ease with which the ends are secured to each other in use and under adverse atmospheric conditions.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the fastener means comprises an aperture formed at one end of the strap and a head secured to the other end of the strap for placement through the aperture, the head having an engaging surface facing in the direction of the strap for engaging part of the strap defining the aperture and thereby maintaining the ends secured to each other.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the strap comprises a flexible plastic tube, wherein the aperture is defined by a doubled over, pinched off end of the tube clamped to an intermediate portion of the tube, and wherein the head comprises a radially outwardly extending flange placed over the other end of the tube and a plug disposed within the tube biasing the tube into firm frictional engagement with an interior surface of the flange.
 10. A safety strap for preventing runaway skis after a binding securing a ski boot to a ski opens comprising an elongate strap of readily flexible tubular material for connection with the boot and the ski, the material being selected to permit a substantial elastic stretching of the strap without breakage thereof, means for opening and closing the strap to movably connect and disconnect the boot and the ski, said means for opening and closing the strap including a clamp comprising an outer annular member and an inner circular member adapted to compress a first end of the elongate tubular strap therebetween to fixably connect said clamp to said first end of said tubular strap, but adapted to release said tubular strap when a predetermined force is applied to the strap whereupon stretching of said tubular strap sufficiently decreases the wall thickness of said strap to a thickness wherein said tubular strap slides from between the outer annular member and the inner circular member, and means for connecting the clamp to the second end of the elongate tubular strap strip.
 11. A strap according to claim 10 wherein the second end of the elongate strap is connected to the outer annular member.
 12. A strap according to claim 10 wherein the second end of the elongate strap is connected to the inner circular member. 